Exploring Learning Happiness Among Indonesian Students Amidst Heavy Academic Workloads Through the Balinese Philosophies of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Kaya Parisudha

Abstract

Student happiness plays an important role in promoting academic engagement, well-being, and meaningful learning experiences in higher education. This study examined the level of learning happiness among students at the Ganesha University of Education (Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha), Bali, Indonesia, within the cultural context of the Balinese philosophies of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Kaya Parisudha. A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted with 150 undergraduate students using a 27-item questionnaire measuring five dimensions of learning happiness. The five dimensions were derived from established theoretical perspectives and contextualised through the integration of the principles of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Kaya Parisudha to reflect the cultural context of students’ learning experiences. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that students reported a high level of learning happiness overall (M = 83.64, SD = 10.30). Among the five dimensions, social relationships in the lecture environment recorded the highest mean score, whereas academic workload received the lowest mean score, although it remained within the high category. High levels of learning happiness were also observed across all semester levels and both gender groups. These findings suggest that students generally experience positive and meaningful learning, despite academic demands, within an educational environment informed by the values of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Kaya Parisudha. As the study was conducted at a single university and employed a descriptive design, future research should examine learning happiness across multiple universities and investigate its relationship with important educational outcomes, such as academic engagement, student persistence, and academic achievement.